On Thanksgiving Day, I posted a tribute to the teachers of the year in Acadia Parish in Louisiana.

With Governor Bobby Jindal in charge and with a compliant state board and a compliant TFA state commissioner, Louisiana is ground zero for the privatization of public education in America.

Jindal has control of the state board mainly because of huge campaign contributions from out of state supporters of his rightwing agenda.

As part of its destruction of public education, the state has enacted punitive laws directed at teachers.

Their evaluations will be tied to test scores, and it will be easy to fire them. They have no job rights.

In response to my tribute to the teachers in Louisiana, I received the following comment. Please recall that prior to the enactment of No Child Left Behind and the implementation of Race to the Top, public schools were not closed because of test scores. They were considered a public service or a public good. Closing them down made no more sense than closing down and selling off a community’s public park. But now we just take for granted that schools are closed, against the will of the community, and no one can stop it from happening. This is outrageous and we must not forget that it is outrageous. It does nothing to help students or to improve education. It is only good as a battering ram to hurt public education and to help the privatizers.

The teacher writes:

As a 30-year educator in Louisiana public schools, I can tell you that your support means so much – now more than ever. I will forward this to all the teachers who work with me at Delmont Elementary. A week ago today we were informed that our school would be closed because of our failure to make AYP within a year. But we are still thankful on this day, because we know that even though our state and district don’t recognize our efforts, we have truly touched the lives of 450 dhildren and families; and they have touched ours.

Yes, but ironically the NFL itself runs according to the socialist principle of share-and-share-alike, in that their television broadcast fees are distributed equally among all the teams, large media market or small. The public schools on the other hand, are increasingly expected to compete in a rigged game with politically favored charter and virtual schools.

I just visited New Orleans for the first time. While exploring the city as a tourist I came across several beautiful old school buildings that have been boarded up and abandoned, including George O. Mondy School and Andrew J. Bell Junior High School (pictures via flickr below). I also saw a well-maintained KIPP school in the French Quarter, KIPP McDonogh 15 Primary.

Maybe someone should do a photo essay on the lovely old school buildings that have been closed in New Orleans and around the country.

The money quote: “But now we just take for granted that schools are closed, against the will of the community, and no one can stop it from happening.”

The speed and urgency of DoEd to enact RttT’s market-based reforms assures the next generation’s loss of collective memory about the public good in public schools. Public schools as a stable community institution, teachers gaining wisdom and expertise after many years of teaching, and an expectation of a secure salary and retirement will be forgotten. Losing our egalitarian public education system means losing the entire framework for understanding democracy.

This is such a tragedy, a real and tangible loss of community, heritage, and investment when a neighborhood public school is closed in this way.

Public sentiment has been misled to permit school closings with sayings like: “Public schools are broken” and “we are 25th in the world in education”.

I propose we get a different message out to the media: “Its not our schools, that are broken, its laws that let corporations force their agenda on our schools.. that is what’s broken” and “We aren’t 25th in achievement, we are 25th in…educational policy. If we want to improve achievement, let’s listen to educators, parents, and universities to make our policy. That’s what #1 Finland does!

Let’s not forget the public parks are routinely closed or underresourced for private good. Municipalities bear the cost of building a sports complex because otherwise the teams will pick up and leave. The leagues do not allow municipalities to own their own teams so this can’t be resolved in the market. What is a sports complex if not a private park that: a) charges admission, b) was financed at public expense, and c) offers premium accomodations at premium rates for the benefit of team owners? The public does not get skybox money.

“But we are still thankful on this day, because we know that even though our state and district don’t recognize our efforts, we have truly touched the lives of 450 dhildren and families; and they have touched ours.”

What a remarkably wise and positive comment in the face of this school closing. Governor Jindal, do you have any idea what you are destroying?

I hope that Dr. Ravitch starts to advise the younger teachers to leave the country. This country is beyond help, but individuals can choose to live in a healthier, more intellectual societies, and save themselves and their families. Intellectuals and artists left Germany in the 1930s, and this is a good model. Did people simply stay on the Titanic when they had a chance to escape? This whole mess is going down, and we’ve already hit the iceberg.

Scandanavia sounds good (except weather), as does Germany, Australia, parts of Asia, etc. Do your research. You don’t have to live in the Matrix. Break free! Most of our ancestors came from Europe, so maybe it is time to go home and help Europe. America was good to us for 100 years, but the good times are over, and things are getting ugly fast. Do you want you children to grow up in this kind of system? No one will blame you for leaving before things really get bad. Staying in the country now will make complicit.

It is better to be a cab driver in Copenhagen than a teacher in New Orleans (soon to be the entire U.S.). You can also teach English as a native speaker in most countries, and you will be respected and revered for doing so. You know where the country is going now, so there is no excuse. If I had known the true trajectory of America ten years ago, then I would now be in Europe somewhere. Our ancestors had the “guts” to leave their homes and come here , and now it is time to repeat the process. No, it isn’t easy, but you won’t starve to death either. Your kids and grand kids will thank you for it! Let America unravel. There is nothing to stop this now.

If you are too far along in your career, just hang on, collect whatever pension is left and retire in Belize, Costa Rica, or Vietnam. People are nicer,and life is cheaper. People don’t behave like this all over the world! There are societies that still think and read. Go see! Teach the local, smiling kids English. Spend your free time drinking Pina Coladas on the beach and reminiscing about how America used to be. I’ll see you there. Think about it!

My own mother just suggested I start looking at Canada (and no not because of the election). She said that when the Norwegians left Norway (a long time ago) it wasn’t because they didn’t love Norway, it was because Norway had nothing to offer their children. I’m a 50 year old teacher and I can see Chicago is emulating Louisiana just to fill the coffers of the very rich. The plutocrats can’t stand to see our huge education tax dollars benefit anyone but themselves but that is just it, they are OUR tax dollars and they should benefit OUR children. It doesn’t matter how much public school teachers make if it benefits YOUR children and not some business agenda. The Northshore, in IL, has always paid more in taxes and always had better schools, is that fair? Yes, because they are willing to pay those taxes to benefit their children. Their teachers make enough to live in the same community they teach in (well almost). These are your public schools America don’t sell them, you’ve already paid for them!